We love him, because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19
This verse has become a popular reference for home decor, tumblers, journals and t-shirts. Yet it is rarely quoted correctly. Most encounters with 1 John 4:9 will show, “we love, be sure he first loved us.”
I was curious why ‘Him’ always seemed to be missing. So, a quick Google search gave me some answers. The KJV is the only version of the bible to include the word Him in the verse. So I did a little more digging. Why would every version leave out this pronoun? Surely it’s because it wasn’t in the original manuscripts. No, it’s there in koine Greek, clear as day.
Every other version of the bible literally eliminates a word from the original manuscripts in their translations. Why? The short version is, there were some manuscripts found in Egypt, after the discovery of the textus receptus yet dated earlier. Some thought these to be more reliable, but it has been discovered that that is not the case. These Alexandrian text are known to be missing entire verses from the original letters. Yet, all the newer English versions reference these newly found manuscripts.
This little pronoun that new versions seem to deem unimportant is actually a really big deal doctrinally.
Examining the verse in reverse we see that Christ loved us. We all agree on that fact. John 3:16 teaches us that God loved the world. God’s love is manifested from Genesis to revelation. But God didn’t love us unto death just for us to generically love.
Without “Him” we have to wonder what is it we love? Others? Animals? Life? Sin? Do we simply just have the emotion of love because He loved us. Of course not. We experience love before Salvation. There are 4 Greek words for love. Storge- family love, phillia- friendship love, Eros-passionate love, agape- sacrificial love only God can give.
Before we were saved we all loved a family member, friend or spouse. But it was impossible for us to love God. In fact, we were at enmity with God and it was only by the death of Jesus we were reconciled.
It’s exactly the fact that because He first loved us – because He died for us- we are able to love HIM.
The next verse assures us that this is the correct understanding. “If a man say, I love God,” in the Greek, “Him” was not just a pronoun it was a reflexive pronoun. Here we see what it’s reflecting on – God. We love God, because He first loved us. Because we love God, we must love our brother.
1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
There is evidence for us loving God and that is loving our brother. Without the word Him in verse 19 it would appear that the evidence of us loving our brother is because God loved us. The evidence of God’s love towards us is Jesus!
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
The birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus is proof of how God loved us and because He first loved us we can love Him. John would go on to tell us to “love not the world.” It’s an important thing to understand who we are to love, why and how. We are not to love all things, we are to love Him, and when we love Him, His love with flow out of us onto others. But if we go around trying to love others without loving Him then we will surely make a mess of things. It’s still all about Him. It’s still all about the gospel. Indeed, We love HIM, because He first loved us!